The search for the 32-year-old Kenyan woman, who was declared missing in April has ended with the tragic discovery of her decomposed remains in a forest. Rita Awour Ojunge, mother of two, was reported missing on 7 April by her husband in the town of Hohenleipisch, in the state Brandenburg. The police on Tuesday announced that after many weeks of …
Read More »Don’t bribe any Nigerian embassy staff, Minister Mohammed Anka warns
An appeal has gone out to Nigerians living in Germany to desist from paying bribes to access service at their country’s embassy. The appeal was made by Alhaji Mohammed Bello Musa Anka, Minister in charge of the Consular & Immigration Section at the embassy, while speaking in Dortmund at the annual general meeting of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany …
Read More »Asylum figures in the EU down to pre-2015 levels
The European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat, and the European Asylum Support Office, EASO, have released their latest figures on asylum for 2018. Overall, the total number of asylum applicants decreased by over 50 per cent compared to figures from 2015. Germany welcomed the highest number of asylum-seekers, followed by France, then Greece, Spain and Italy. Although the number of refugees …
Read More »German bureaucracy keeps refugees stuck in temporary jobs, report finds
A new study has found that although many refugees find work, most are in temporary jobs. Researchers say that bureaucratic hurdles are just as much a hindrance as personal shortcomings. Refugees may be able to find work in Germany, but they tend to find it in low-paying temporary jobs rather than truly integrating themselves into the national labour market, according …
Read More »Nigerian Diaspora Germany elects new executive body
The German chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) has elected a new executive committee. The election was part of the body’s annual general meeting, which took place on Saturday, 22 June in the city of Dortmund. Dr RosaLyn Dressmann was elected to lead the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG) as President for the next two years at …
Read More »Germany: Berlin to Freeze Rents for Five Years
The city of Berlin on Tuesday called for a five-year freeze on rents in the German capital beginning in 2020. Housing costs in the city have doubled over the past decade. The city’s proposed freeze would “protect against rent increases for 1.5 million apartments,” according to city officials. The move was announced after a city council meeting held Tuesday. Urban …
Read More »Germany: Nigerian community thrown into mourning as man kills girlfriend
The Nigerian community in Bremen is still in a state of shock many days after a Nigerian killed his 41-year-old girlfriend in the northern German city. On the day of the tragic incident, which occurred on 7 June, the 42-year-old man called the emergency to report that he had just attacked his girlfriend, also a Nigerian, in their apartment with …
Read More »Germany opens new doors for legal immigration
The Federal Parliament has passed two laws to regulate immigration from non-EU countries into Germany. One of the laws provides more opportunities for people to come to Germany to work and receive training while another amends the regulations affecting asylum-seekers. In a major step to modernise and liberalise its immigration system, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed into law a bill …
Read More »Germany issues highest number of Blue Cards in the EU
Seven years after the introduction of the EU Blue Card, Germany has awarded 104,000 such residence permits to highly-skilled non-EU immigrants. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said in Nuremberg on Tuesday that about 27,000 visas were issued in 2018, a 25.4% jump over 2017, and more than any previous year. 11,738 of the Cards issued in 2018 were …
Read More »Germany: MP Karamba Diaby speaks out on the SPD crisis
The leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Andrea Nahles, resigned under pressure on Sunday after the poor result of her party in the EU elections. The SPD scored 15.8% of the popular vote, an 11.4-percentage-point drop from 2014’s EU elections, finishing behind its coalition partners, the Chancellor Angela Merkel-led CDU/CSU (28.9%), and the Greens (20.5%). It’s …
Read More »Africans and Germans arise for Christ in Speyer
Arise Africa is a one-day program, first held on 1 May 2017, where Africans unite with Germans in a gathering to rededicate themselves to the teaching of Jesus Christ and to take up the task of spreading His word in Germany. The event, whose theme two years ago was ‘Be a blessing for the land’, was organised by Pastor Frank …
Read More »Germany: SPD leader resigns after bad EU elections result
Leader of the German Social Democrats (SPD), Andrea Nahles, resigned on Sunday after the poor result for her party in the EU elections, where the SPD came third behind Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU and the Greens. Nahles became the SPD’s first female leader in April 2018 when she replaced former EU Parliament president, Martin Schulz. Merkel has pledged the coalition …
Read More »A Nigerian woman’s long journey to self-discovery in Germany
Clara Uwazie Meierdierks writes about the value of friendship and family, mentioning by name those who stood with her through thick and thin, both in Nigeria and Germany. But she also painfully recalls the gossip-mobbing that she suffered when things were not going well for her
Read More »Experts on mistakes African entrepreneurs in Germany should avoid
How to make African-owned businesses in Germany more resilient and less prone to failure was the theme of one of the workshops held as part of the Africa Day programme in Dortmund on 24-25 May. The event, organised by AfricanTide Union, commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) on 25 May 1963. Clément Klutse, a …
Read More »Herzberger-Fofana elected as first Afro-German member of European Parliament
Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, a member of the Green Party, has been elected into the European Parliament. The politician, who is originally from Senegal, was one of the 21 Green candidates elected from Germany at the elections on Sunday. With her election, she has become the first German member of the parliament with African origin. Announcing her victory on her Facebook …
Read More »Integration Courses in Germany: What You Need to Know
Migrants in Germany are expected to learn the language and become familiar with the country’s history, culture and legal system. That’s where integration courses come in. But what exactly are these courses, who can participate, and how many people are taking part? Benjamin Bathke reports. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) statistics, more than one million …
Read More »Germany: AfricanTide Union hosts African Unity Conference in Dortmund
The day that commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963, will be marked this year for the 10th consecutive time in the western German city of Dortmund. The African Unity 2019 conference, taking place on 24-25 May and organised by the non-governmental organization AfricanTide Union e.V., will bring …
Read More »Language tests keep 1 in 3 foreign spouses from joining loved ones in Germany
One in three foreigners seeking to join a spouse in Germany is unable to do so because they fail to pass a basic language test. The failure rate was especially high for applicants from Iraq. Nearly a third of foreigners seeking to join their spouses in Germany fail to pass a German language test in their homeland, preventing them from …
Read More »Germany: Man charged with attempted murder over racist car attacks in Essen
German prosecutors have charged a man arrested on New Year’s day with attempted murder after he rammed his car into crowds of revellers in two separate attacks, police said on Wednesday. The 50-year-old German was detained after he drove his Mercedes into people celebrating the New Year in the western cities of Bottrop and Essen in a suspected hate crime …
Read More »Deportation laws in Germany: What you need to know
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is calling for harsher deportation laws after asylum-seekers attacked pedestrians in Bavaria. So far, who gets deported – and who makes that call – is a complex matter. Carla Bleiker reports. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has said he would send proposals to the government aimed at changing German deportation laws in an effort to …
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